BANGERTER OPENS DINO SHOW

Gov. Norm Bangerter joked Friday that this year's campaign is making him feel a lot like the new state fossil, the allosaurus.

"I feel as if I can relate to the allosaurus - some of my political opponents would like for me to also be extinct."He was on a roll with prehistoric jokes when he spoke at the opening of the new Dinamation exhibit at the Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah.

"This year the Legislature passed SB87, which designated a state fossil. For awhile, I thought they were talking about me."

He said the description of the allosaurus made it easy to confuse with him.

"He had a strong neck, a huge head with bony ridges above its eyes and a powerful jaw with teeth that could swallow large chunks of its prey. See why I thought the Legislature was talking about me?"

Visitors at the new Dinamation exhibit will encounter a giant fern forest populated by 10 moving, roaring dinosaurs ranging from half to full life size.